Joe Biden: Costco-shopper-in-chief

Vice President Joe Biden shops during a visit to a Costco store in Washington,… (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images )

Vice President Joe Biden appeared at the grand opening of Washington, D.C.’s first Costco Thursday morning, meeting with co-founder Jim Sinegal and CEO Craig Jelinek and most importantly, searching for pies.

Biden, who re-activated his Costco membership yesterday, declared “I’m looking for pies” as soon as he got a cart, perusing the bakery’s offerings while shoppers gathered around him.

Biden, who also gathered a number of children’s books intended for a charity in Delaware, resisted attempts by employees to bring him into the tire department, saying “Hey man, I don’t need tires. I don’t drive anymore.”

The vice president ended his shopping with the books, fire logs, an apple pie and a 32-inch Panasonic television.

Amid his purchases and quips, Biden weighed in slightly on the looming “fiscal cliff.” According to the pool report, Biden said that he’s hopeful that a deal will be reached, and echoed President Obama’s call for Congress to take action on extending middle class tax cuts.

“All of these folks in this store, man, it’s going to make a difference. Take $2,200 out of their pockets next year, you have a big problem,” Biden said.

“It’s important Congress acts now. I mean right now. All it has to do is take a single vote to extend the middle class tax cut,” Biden added. “If they don’t do that…it’s been estimated that $200 billion less will be spent next year.”

“We have a lot we have to settle, but there’s one thing we should all agree on and that’s the middle class tax cut should be made permanent,” he said.

Biden left the store, which he deemed “the renaissance of a whole neighborhood here,” by remarking to the press that “I know you won’t tell anybody what I bought for Christmas.”